The Louisiana Department of Health reported the first human death from H5N1 avian influenza in the United States. The patient was over 65 years of age and was pronounced dead at a state hospital.
The official announcement provides standard advice on how to protect yourself from H5N1 – “avoid sources of the virus, that is, direct contact with wild birds and other animals that are or may be infected with avian influenza.”
Avian influenza H5N1 was first detected in the United States in wild birds in South Carolina in January 2022, and the virus was detected in California in July of the same year. In March 2024, cases of infection were reported in cows in Texas and Kansas. After this, 66 cases of infection were confirmed among people in ten American states, TASS recalls.